Fast, though still

[koganbot]

davidfrazer informs me that my hero Tymee (formerly E.via), who'd split rancorously with Dline Art Media, has signed with ASSA Communication, an agency/label apparently founded by rapper Outsider. So I've been checking Outsider; he raps fast, though still too much in the overanguished super-sincere mode that drags down too much Korean hip-hop. Here's one that's not bad, the anguish lowered to medium:

"Like A Man"

Watch on YouTube

In addition, I found this track from Trabler.* Seems like an interesting rap-pop power ballad, even if it too veers towards so-what anguish:

"꽃이지다"

Watch on YouTube

David also passes along the happy news that ChoColat are preparing new material, and that Crayon Pop haven't stopped kicking.

Chocolat Melanie's hair is pink.

*Was searching Trabler because they were guests on "Lie To Me," E.via's boring swan song on Dline.

Comments

[davidfrazer.livejournal.com]

I forgot to mention that Crayon Pop will be getting a sixth member "for their Japanese promotions". She's called Arisa and looks like this.

By the way, Melanie's hair is now brown.

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

Not too anguished, he says, and then posts of a video where the rapper is strapped to a gurney. :p

At least the song doesn't suddenly stop for a minute to show us a suicide attempt o_O.

I can hear parts of I Wanna Love (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1pNnvXMHBI) in that Trabler song, maybe.

[koganbot]

Less anguished in comparison to his other songs. But I was thinking more of the sound than of the video per se.

(I'm laggard about looking for lyrics translations. I get the sense strictly from the sound that the strong anguish is meant to convey something like "I have a right to be angry, because of what you made me feel" and "I am suffering and it's over you." Of course, I love the high anguish of freestyle women, so I'm not consistent here. But they sound ecstatically unhappy; it's not the doggedness of a lot of the Korean hip-hop guys (but for sure not all of the Korean hip-hop guys are like that all the time).)

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

Hah. Is ecstatic unhappiness really that rare in K-hiphop, though? I was working on a Youtube mix called "fast-sad" where I used to put all the mixed-mood songs I'd come across... Epik High "Run" and "Fallin", Big Bang "Lies", LEDApple "Let the Wind Blow" and 100% "Bad Boy" are there. Outsider "Like A Man" is there, too, actually, haha. I always got the sense this was an established genre I just didn't know enough about.

[koganbot]

I don't think of Big Bang's G-Dragon or T.O.P. as doing the particular sound of anguished complaint — which isn't to say that they don't do anguish or complaint, or both at the same time; but they don't have that particular endemic K-rap sound of complaining anguish. Sorry I can't be more descriptive. Outsider on "Loner" is more what I had in mind (though his being a speed rapper complicates the example).

Low-tiered comeback watch

[davidfrazer.livejournal.com]

Chocolat have released a comeback teaser photo. Looks like "sexy concept" time again.

And Crayon Pop will release a new album on June 14th.